Christian's dreams had been strange before, but this was different.
He was floating—no, drifting—through a place with no sky, no ground, just a constant pulse. Like a heartbeat echoing across nothingness. Black mist surrounded him, not oppressive like before, but almost… guiding.
And then he saw it.
A great obsidian sphere suspended in the void, its surface covered in shifting runes that pulsed with faint violet light. One rune, however, glowed brighter than the rest—burned into the surface like a scar. A rune he recognized.
The Eye of Collapse.
Christian floated closer, unable to stop himself. As he neared it, the runes shivered and began to whisper.
> You are the Gatekeeper.
You are the Wound.
You are the One Who Chose Light… and Still Carries Shadow.
A sudden jolt tore through him as his chest burned—his Void Core reacting violently. The Eye opened.
Inside it wasn't darkness—it was a memory.
---
The Origin
He stood on a battlefield—not his, not this world's. Blades of light clashed with tendrils of shadow. Spirit beasts tore at monstrous forms that bled void. In the center, a figure in dark robes stood, a staff in one hand, a sphere in the other.
The same Eye of Collapse.
And beside him… a boy.
No older than Christian. Identical eyes. Identical pendant.
> He was the first.
The bearer of the original core.
And he failed.
The world around Christian trembled as the boy screamed, consumed by the void until only mist remained.
Christian fell to his knees.
"I'm… not him," he whispered.
> You are the echo of his choice. You are the last trial of the Abyss.
---
Spirit Realm – Back in Reality
Christian woke with a gasp, drenched in sweat. Kien was at his side immediately, and behind her, Garran.
"I felt it," Garran said grimly. "The Eye is watching you now."
Christian stared at them, trembling. "There was another… someone like me. Before."
Garran nodded slowly. "There have been others. Bearers of Void. The Eye always chooses—but it rarely blesses."
Christian looked down at his hands. His core pulsed faintly, weaker than before. Or maybe just… calmer.
"I saw the battlefield," he muttered. "I think it was a memory. Of a war before our time."
"It was the First Fracture," Garran said. "The war between Spiritkind and Abysskind. A war we were never meant to win."
Christian met his gaze. "Why me?"
"That's what the next trial is for."
---
Spirit Trial – Shards of the Abyss
Later that night, Christian stepped into the secluded Spirit Chamber. Runes surrounded the floor. Garran and Kien stood at the edge of the circle, watching.
"The Eye is showing you its truth," Garran said. "If you can survive this trial, you may understand what it wants—and why it chose you."
Christian nodded and stepped into the circle. The runes flared.
A vortex of black mist swallowed him whole.
---
Inside the Abyss
This was deeper than the dream.
He walked across an ocean of stars, each one flickering like a dying candle. Above him hovered the shattered reflection of himself, pieces of who he was, floating apart.
He touched one—pain ripped through his heart.
It was a memory. The alley behind the academy, when he was young. Cold, hungry. Alone.
He touched another—his battle with Riven. The moment he nearly gave in.
Each fragment hurt more than the last.
And then, the final piece: Kien, reaching out to him during his darkest moment.
He touched it.
A warmth spread across his chest. The darkness hissed.
> She is your anchor.
She is your danger.
Choose wisely.
---
Back in the Chamber
Christian collapsed as the trial ended, gasping for air. The mist had faded, the runes dimmed.
Kien rushed to him, holding him up. "What did you see?"
"I saw… myself," he whispered. "What I could become. What I already am."
Garran knelt beside him. "And did you find an answer?"
Christian looked at them both. His voice was low. Steady.
"No. But I know the question now."
He stood, despite the trembling in his legs.
"The Abyss isn't just trying to consume me. It's testing me. It wants to see if I can be what the others weren't."
Garran's eyes narrowed. "And can you?"
Christian looked at the night sky beyond the chamber door.
"We'll find out."
---
Far Beyond – Talon's Reaction
Inside the Infernal Legion's sanctum, Talon felt the shift ripple through the abyssal field.
He smiled.
"So… he's entered the Fragments. Good. Let him see what we already know."
Behind him, the obsidian statue cracked open—something ancient stirring behind it.
---
To Be Continued…